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In submission to MPs, archdeacon Rick Simpson says claims by ex-vicar Matthew Firth are deeply problematic'A former vicar who claimed the Church of England was complicit in a conveyor belt" of baptisms of asylum seekers presented an unrecognisable picture and was known to take a right-of-centre stance in immigration", a senior clergyman has told MPs.The Ven Rick Simpson, archdeacon of Auckland in the diocese of Durham, said that neither he nor anyone he had spoken to at St Cuthbert's church in Darlington recognised the picture that was presented" by the ex-vicar, both in articles in the Daily Telegraph and in evidence to MPs. Continue reading...

Coordinated withdrawal agreed after several member states and UK have quit energy charter treatyEuropean lawmakers have voted to escape a treaty that lets investors sue governments in private courts for pursuing policies that stop the planet from heating.Fossil fuel companies have used the energy charter treaty (ECT), an international trade agreement from the 1990s, to demand billions of euros of taxpayers' money in opaque tribunals set up to protect investors. Continue reading...

The indicted fabulist who was expelled from Congress gives his support, of sorts, to feckless RINO' Nick LaLotaThe expelled US congressman, fabulist and multiply indicted criminal defendant George Santos said he would not run for re-election in New York after all, because to do so would risk splitting the Republican vote and handing Democrats a prized Long Island seat.Although Nick and I don't have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don't want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Democrats," Santos said on social media, referring to Nick LaLota, the sitting Republican congressman in New York's first district. Continue reading...

Staff at Topeka zoo are devastated' by death of Karen, who was known as the dancing queen'A popular ostrich at a zoo in Kansas known as the dancing queen" has died after swallowing an employee's keys.The Topeka zoo and conservation center announced the death of Karen on Friday after she reached beyond her exhibit fence to grab the keys of a staff member" and then swallowed them. Continue reading...

Government to resume cooperation with UN agency for Palestinians in Gaza after report finds Israel had yet to back up accusations on employees having terror tiesAn Israeli government minister has said if he were American he would rather vote for the Republicans than Joe Biden in the forthcoming US presidential election.Speaking to Israel's public broadcaster Kan, Amichai Chikli, who is the diaspora affairs minister and a member of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, said Biden is subject to very heavy pressure that influences him, and causes real damage to relations" between the US and Israel. Continue reading...

The $95bn package allots funds to Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine, which desperately needs munitions for its war with RussiaJoe Biden praised congressional leaders and lawmakers for what he called an effort to answer history's call at this critical inflection point" after the US Senate voted resoundingly in a bipartisan majority on Tuesday to approve $95bn in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.The Senate passed the bill in a sweeping 79 to 18 vote, after similarly lopsided approval in the House last weekend. The president, who had pushed Congress for months to deliver the foreign aid measure, said he would sign it into law on Wednesday and immediately begin the process of sending badly needed weapons to Ukraine as early as this week. Continue reading...

Maximilian Krah will remain German far-right party's top choice despite accusations against Jian GuoA far-right German politician has said he will continue to run for the upcoming European parliamentary elections despite allegations that his adviser was spying for the Chinese government.Maximilian Krah, who is the lead contender for the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party, told journalists in Berlin: I am and will remain the main candidate" after an emergency meeting with party bosses on Wednesday morning after the allegations came to light. Continue reading...

Witnesses describe total mayhem' as animals run through centre of UK capital during rush hourFour people have been taken to hospital after several military horses broke loose during a morning exercise and bolted through central London, colliding with vehicles.Astonished witnesses described total mayhem" as the runaway horses, including one white horse drenched in blood, ran through the rush-hour streets. Continue reading...

Deputy Labour leader also criticises watering-down of leasehold reform plans while facing Oliver Dowden at deputy PMQs

Former employee Emilio Garcia alleges chart-topping rapper had sex in front of him in a moving car, and made abusive comments and employment law violationsMegan Thee Stallion has been sued by a former employee who alleges she withheld payment and created an abusive work environment", including having sex with a woman next to him in a moving car.Cameraman Emilio Garcia alleges severe" and pervasive" harassment by the chart-topping rapper following the incident, including sexual comments and fat-shaming insults, as well as a loss of earnings. He is seeking unpaid wages and interest on them, as well as damages, and wage penalties under California labour laws. Continue reading...

Two crew members were hospitalised when a car and truck collided during shooting of The Pickup in Atlanta, GeorgiaSeveral crew members were injured and two were hospitalised when a car and truck collided during shooting of the Eddie Murphy film The Pickup in Atlanta, Georgia.Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement that the scene that led to Saturday's accident in Georgia had been rehearsed and all safety precautions were taken. Neither Murphy nor the film's other stars, including Keke Palmer and Pete Davidson, were on the set at the time. Continue reading...

Media regulator says British public has no desire to stop politicians presenting on news channels

The African country accounted for two-thirds of the additional 13.5m people needing urgent help as displacement drove food insecurity globallySudan had the world's largest number of people facing extreme food shortages in 2023 as conflict and displacement drove food insecurity globally, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).The war between rival generals meant Sudan accounted for two-thirds of the additional 13.5 million people needing urgent help last year, while conflict also plunged Gaza into the world's most severe food crisis with its entire population facing high levels of food insecurity. Continue reading...

US secretary of state to hold talks with Chinese counterpart and most likely with President Xi JinpingAntony Blinken has landed in China amid a worsening rift between the world's two most powerful countries that threatens to overshadow otherwise improving relations.The US secretary of state arrives with a warning that the US and its European allies are no longer prepared to tolerate China's sale of weapon components and dual-use products to Russia, which are helping Vladimir Putin rebuild and modernise his arms factories, enabling him to intensify his onslaught on Ukraine. Continue reading...

Rights chief also warns Britain will be judged harshly by history for its failure to help prevent civilian slaughter in Gaza'The UK has been accused by Amnesty International of deliberately destabilising" human rights on the global stage for its own political ends.In its annual global report, released today, the organisation said Britain was weakening human rights protections nationally and globally, amid a near-breakdown of international law. Continue reading...

Investors lodge 58% protest vote against emissions report but defiant chair Richard Goyder maintains company is part of solution to climate change

NSW police deputy commissioner says more than 400 police were involved in the raids

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Member of parliament for Birkenhead between 1979 and 2019 has died after a period of illness, his family has announcedThe former Labour minister and crossbench peer Frank Field has died aged 81, his family has announced.A statement from Lord Field's family, issued by his parliamentary office, said: Frank Field (Rt Hon Lord Field of Birkenhead, CH) has died at the age of 81 following a period of illness. Continue reading...

Less than 24 hours after the bot was launched, internet users were already attempting to jailbreak' the program

Australian federal police have told court there was a real risk' the video could be used to encourage people to commit terrorist attacks

Greens criticise Albanese government's abysmal lack of action' as CPI figures show education costs driving up inflation

Bags went missing in Dubai floods, with embassy staff only able to retrieve one instrument and a handful of dress uniforms for defence force musiciansAustralia's and New Zealand's defence forces are once again coming together at Gallipoli - this time to ensure New Zealand's military band can play on.The band's luggage was among thousands of bags lost during last week's Dubai floods, with embassy staff only able to retrieve one instrument and a handful of dress uniforms ahead of the 25 April dawn service in Turkey. Continue reading...

Petition filed on behalf of woman known as as Fausia, who underwent a forced pregnancy after being rapedHonduras is being taken to a global human rights body for the first time over its total abortion ban, which campaigners say violates women's fundamental rights and the country's international commitments.The Center for Reproductive Rights and the Honduras-based Centro de Derechos de la Mujer (Center for Women's Rights, CDM) filed a petition with the UN human rights committee this month on behalf of a woman known as Fausia, who underwent a forced pregnancy after being raped and denied an abortion under Honduras' draconian laws. Continue reading...

Former DUP leader will be seen for first time since his arrest when he attends court in Newry on WednesdayJeffrey Donaldson is due to make his first court appearance in Northern Ireland on sexual offence charges amid a heavy security presence.The former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader is scheduled to appear at Newry magistrates court in County Down on Wednesday morning to face allegations of sexual abuse against two people. Continue reading...

Three-decade campaign by the Gweagal community of La Perouse sees repatriation of four spears to Kamay

Releasing secret safety data will save lives', automobile association says as report shows 1,286 people died on Australian roads over the last year

Chris Minns to announce details of review after court hears the man charged with her murder was on bail for other offencesThe New South Wales government has ordered a review of the decisions a court made to bail a man facing charges of raping and stalking Molly Ticehurst, and who has subsequently been charged with her murder.The premier, Chris Minns, said he would announce the details of the review on Wednesday after Daniel Billings was charged with the domestic violence murder of his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend. Continue reading...

Authorities in Greece warn the dust concentrations can reduce sunlight and visibility, while increasing levels of fine pollution particles pose health risksClouds of dust blown in from the Sahara covered Athens and other Greek cities on Tuesday, one of the worst such episodes to hit the country since 2018, officials said.A yellow-orange haze smothered several regions after days of strong winds from the south, limiting visibility and prompting warnings from the authorities of breathing risks. Continue reading...

Watchdog says only a third of local authorities are confident they will have enough places for SeptemberThe deployment of the government's childcare scheme to tens of thousands more families is facing significant uncertainties" and may struggle to meet its own targets, according to a report by Whitehall's spending watchdog.The National Audit Office revealed the Department for Education (DfE) had assessed the likelihood of being able to deliver the funded childcare places it promised for September 2024 and 2025 as amber/red problematic". Continue reading...

One in five people on average need at least three interactions - but for ethnic minorities figure rises to one in threeEthnic minorities and young people require more visits than other people to the GP before being diagnosed with cancer, according to new analysis.On average, one in five people across England require three or more GP interactions before being diagnosed with cancer. But for people from ethnic minority backgrounds, the figure rises to one in three, according to analysis of the NHS cancer patient experience 2022 survey by QualityWatch, a joint programme from the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation. Continue reading...

Children among those killed in second fatal incident in two weeks close to the Horn of Africa, says UN agencyAt least 21 people have died after a boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the UN's migration agency has said.It was the second fatal maritime accident in two weeks off the Horn of Africa nation, which lies on the perilous so-called eastern migration route from Africa to the Middle East. Continue reading...

Kalen D'Almeida and Braden Ellis accosted David Boyles, also co-founder of Drag Story Hour Arizona, last OctoberTwo employees of a rightwing youth organization who harassed and assaulted a queer professor last year agreed to a diversion program and admitted they were guilty of the acts.Turning Point USA's Kalen D'Almeida and Braden Ellis accosted the Arizona State University (ASU) professor David Boyles last October, hounding him about his sexuality and the classes he teaches. Boyles is an English instructor and the co-founder of Drag Story Hour Arizona. Continue reading...

Open letter says callous and degrading' police group WhatsApp message caused more trauma than you can imagine'The mother of one of the Nottingham attack victims has written an open letter to members of a police WhatsApp group in which a message was posted describing her son as being properly butchered".Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby Webber, 19, who with Grace O'Malley-Kumar, 19, and Ian Coates, 65, was stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane, has written to the Nottinghamshire police officer who she says posted graphic details of the victims' injuries in the chat group. Continue reading...

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UN and Council for Europe add voices to outcry as more people drown within hours of cruel' Rwanda bill being passedHumanitarian groups have called for new safe routes to Britain after five people died trying to cross the Channel within hours of ministers passing the controversial Rwanda bill.A child and four adults drowned on Tuesday while trying to reach the UK in a boat from Wimereux, in France. More than 110 people were said to have been on board the vessel when it left the French coastline at 5am. Continue reading...

Minister admits mistakes have been made but says speed limit will remain in high-risk areasHundreds of roads and streets where a 20mph speed limit was introduced under a controversial law could be returned to 30mph, as the Labour-led government admitted mistakes had been made over the policy.The Welsh government denied it had performed a U-turn and insisted the default 20mph for roads in built-up areas would remain to prevent deaths and save the NHS money. Continue reading...

Johnny Timpson says he wants to take a stand' after revelations thousands of unpaid carers are being forced to pay huge finesOne of Rishi Sunak's dementia advisers has resigned over the government's approach towards unpaid carers, describing the prosecutions of vulnerable people as beyond the pale".Johnny Timpson, who advised No 10 on its dementia strategy, said he wanted to take a stand" after the Guardian revealed that tens of thousands of unpaid carers were being fined huge sums and in some cases prosecuted for minor infringements of earnings rules. Continue reading...

Then home secretary's decision in January 2023 to drop pledges was discriminatory, high court hearsA decision made by the former home secretary Suella Braverman to drop three recommendations intended to repair some of the monumental harm" done to the Windrush generation was unlawful, the high court has been told.The Home Office committed itself to a comprehensive improvement programme in response to the Windrush scandal, which had a severely discriminatory impact on a cohort of people who had lived in the UK since childhood, many of whom were arrested, detained, removed from the UK, or sacked from their jobs, made homeless and denied NHS treatment, the court heard. Continue reading...

Juan Merchan reserves judgment on prosecutors' request for maximum fine but tells Todd Blanche you're losing all credibility'The New York judge presiding in Donald Trump's criminal trial held off on deciding whether he should be fined $10,000 for attacking expected trial witnesses in direct violation of the gag order designed to protect trial participants from being the target of Trump's abuse.The judge, Juan Merchan, reserved ruling from the bench. But he appeared deeply unconvinced by arguments from Trump's lead lawyer Todd Blanche that a series of social media posts were just responses to political attacks on Trump and therefore permitted. Continue reading...

Innovative Bites Ltd wins case brought by UK tax authority after its mega' product deemed to be an ingredient'A food company has won a sweet-tasting victory against the UK tax authorities after a court decided that it did not have to pay VAT on its marshmallows because they were not confectionary.HMRC has unsuccessfully appealed against a 2022 decision by the first tier tribunal (FTT) that Innovative Bites Ltd did not have to pay a 472,928 demand for sales tax on its Mega Marshmallows" because they were sold and purchased as a product specifically for roasting". Continue reading...

Far-right supporters among those believed to be attending march on Whitehall, where group violently' forced way through cordonClashes have taken place in central London between police and participants in a St George's Day event attended by crowds that included some far-right supporters.Groups of men wielding flags pushed through lines of police attempting to hold them back in an area near Whitehall before the event, resulting in police on horseback being sent in. Continue reading...

Ukraine needs western munitions badly but it remains unclear how much more artillery the UK is prepared to produce

Prime minister announces increase to UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 in speech about security

Paula Vennells and senior execs accused of Orwellian' use of language over computer system's failingsPaula Vennells, former chief executive of Post Office, and other senior executives searched for non-emotive" words to describe computer bugs found in the Post Office's Horizon IT system in an absolutely Orwellian" use of language, a public inquiry has heard.The inquiry is investigating why the Post Office hounded and prosecuted post office operators for more than a decade because of shortfalls in their branch accounts. It has since emerged that these discrepancies were due to IT problems in the Post Office's Horizon computer system. Continue reading...

Baltimore has sued operator and owner of the Dali container ship, saying it had an incompetent crew' and ignored warningsThe city of Baltimore has sued the owner and operator of the Dali container ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, saying it had an incompetent crew" and set sail despite receiving warnings.According to a court document filed on Monday, city officials say the ship's parent company, Grace Ocean Private Ltd, and its operator, Synergy Marine Group, were potentially criminally negligent" after causing the bridge to collapse on 26 March. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Human rights commission calls for immediate intervention in the division and says sexism and bullying are rife

Michael McDaid charged with murder after Rachel McDaid found dead at her home in EastwoodThe family of a woman found dead in a house in Nottinghamshire say they are truly devastated" by the loss of their beloved mother, daughter, sister, auntie and cousin".Rachel McDaid, 53, was found dead at her home in Nottingham Road, Eastwood, last Friday morning. Her husband, Michael McDaid, 60, appeared in Nottingham magistrates court on Monday charged with her murder. Continue reading...

Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, was loved by many' and an incredible mother', her family saidThe family of a businesswoman found dead in a luxury Surrey hotel have paid tribute to an incredible mother" who was loved by many".Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, was found dead by a housekeeper in a room at Pennyhill Park in Bagshot, Surrey on 14 April. James Cartwright, 60, was charged with murder and controlling and coercive behaviour in relation to the case on Sunday. He is from Axminster, Devon. Continue reading...